【oo1 : start line】
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It was a normally special day in Sesid, the seaside town of the arid country, Noinea. The cold sea breeze swept through the streets of the harbor. The bright dazzling sun shone over the bustling town, causing much nuisance to the citizens due to the heat wave it had caused. The land was already hot and dry enough throughout the yearㅡwith little rain passing by the country every few weeksㅡbut now it was even worse this past few days.
It was the season of the drought againㅡthe hottest and the worst time of the yearㅡand many people had rushed over to the markets of Sesid on it's last day of operation to buy as much consumable food as possible in preparation for the worst that was to come, causing the harbor to be an even more busier place that it had ever been. The place was filled with murmurs and inaudible conversations, ranging from the loud voices of the merchants trying to sell their goods and to a soft cry of a baby held by his mother. It was the busiest time of the year, and also the loudest.
Various kinds of shipping vessels had anchored on this peculiar country. From small sailboats to huge galleons, the port was filled with many merchants and the like trying to sell and trade their goods.
One of these vessels was a rather average shipㅡa frigate smaller than it's average sizeㅡwas anchored between two huge galleons, making it even more smaller than it already looked. A black flag that had white markings that said "KQ Merchants" could be seen as it fluttered gracefully with the help of the sea winds.
Eight menㅡpirates pretending to be merchants, got down from it silently, trying to attract as less attention from others as possible.
"Now, we won't leave the ship empty and unguarded. We need to decide who will stay and watch over." Hongjoong, the blonde mullet haired captain of these group of men announced before they could take a step any further.
"Let's choose with a fair game." Seonghwa, the black haired member of the crew said, and only one game came into the minds of these pirates. Well, maybe except for one member.
"A brawl?" Mingi, a tall blue-green haired boy spoke up, receiving a bunch of glares from his crewmates.
"What?" He raised his brow in confusion.
"A brawl isn't a fair game, Mingi. Especially since we have Jongho here." Seonghwa said as he nodded his head to the youngest of the crew. "He's unbeatable."
"We're not here to cause trouble, Mingi." Hongjoong said as he let out a sigh. "I was thinking it could be rock paper scissors."
"Now that's what you call a fair game." Yunho, the other tall member of them with neat black hair spoke.
"I agree." Yeosang, the pink haired boy added.
"Put your hands out." Hongjoong instructed as the boys followed after their captain.
After a few rounds of the classic game of luckㅡrock paper scissors, Wooyoung, the purple haired gunner of the crew was chosen as the person to be left behind guarding their small frigate.
"Tell me stories about that place, okay?" Wooyoung said as he bid goodbye to his crewmates.
"We'll tell you every single detail of it." San, the green haired member of the pirates said with a smile. "And please take care of Shiber!"
Wooyoung nodded, "I will! Goodluck guys!"
The pirates left the ship, and Wooyoung was left behind to keep guard on it. Sesid's market was filled with many goods that ranges from your usual everyday items to rare golden skulls and ancient exquisite weapons.
"Remember, keep low and stay out of trouble." Hongjoong said as he led the boys into the port and into the bustling crowd. Everyone was so busy with their own businesses that they failed to notice the seven pirates pretending to be merchants walking through.
"We're not here to fight, okay?" Hongjoong said, "Avoid eye contact at all costs. And keep an eye out for the marines."
The boys followed after their leader through the crowd and past the port and the crowded market. Fortunately, they didn't meet any marines along the way, and got through the bustling crowd with ease, and a few buildings and houses later on. They passed through hundereds of stalls that were lined up by the streets of the bustling seaside city of Sesid, and not a moment later, they found themselves facing a horrendously wide barren desert in front of them, with nothing else to see on the horizon. There were only sand everywhere, and a few cacti scattered here and there.
Mingi looked back to the city behind them. You could still hear the inaudible noises from the place. He looked front and faced the desert in front of him. It was total silence here.
"It's not that far, right? " Jongho asked in uncertainty as he stared into the barren land in front of him.
"I think I could see a small silhouette of a hill in the distance," San said as he contracted the spyglass he had just used. "And atop of it is a tall structure."
"It must be it then," Yeosang smiled. "Our destination. The castle."
Hongjoong took out his compass, and looked at the directions.
"Follow me guys, we're going north."
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The seven pirates continued on trudging through the hot sands of the desert, their sweat dripping from their faces as they tried to fan themselves due to the heat wave. They have been getting tired of their continuous journey and the sight of the desert now. There was no shade to take shelter on, nor any oasis could be found on their way especially since the sun was now directly up above their heads for it was already noon.
"The castle looked nearer than it actually was." San panted, "We were deceived."
"The more I look at the hill in front of me, the more it looks like it's farther than before." Yeosang frowned.
"This is a desert, guys. Of course you will be deceived. Hongjoong looks shorter than he actually is." Seonghwa snickered.
"I think it's the other way around, Seonghwa." Mingi said, "He is shorter than he actually looks."
"Shut up, assholes." Hongjoong said as he wiped his sweat. "I'm not in a cool condition right now to play with your warm jokes."
The seven pirates erupted in a laughter, snickering at their grumbling captain. But soon the laughter slowly disappeared, and the pirates focused their attention back to the destination that was near them. After lighting up the mood, the seven pirates continued on silently walking towards their destination again.
"We're near." Yunho said, looking up after another hour of torture under the blazing sun.
The boys followed Yunho and looked forward. They were now very near. Now that they got a closer look at it, it was more than what they had expected. They expected to see a lone castle in the middle of nowhere atop a hill, in which it really was-despite the fact that it was in ruins, however the castle was not alone.
Along the hill, countless earthen structures were placed along the land. They weren't your normal structures that you see in normal cities. Unlike the colorful and pretty buildings in cities, the group of earthen buildings that were surrounded with high walls blended so well with the earth that they couldn't be seen that much from afar. They looked like sculptured clay houses that were either crowded together or scattered randomly. There were tall walls around it, with the same colors of the earthen houses.
A lone fortress stood mighty and tall on top of the hill. It looked lonely, but it was independent on it's own.
"This is no castle," Yeosang said. "This is a city."
"This is a kingdom." Jongho said with a confused face. "I thought we were looking for a castle."
Yunho looked around the area they were in. This was the only hill that can be seen in this wide sea of sand, nothing else. If this was not the castle they were looking for, then he wouldn't know where to find the one they were looking for, considering the fact it was nowhere to be found in this sea of sand, and if it existed in the first place. Aa far as he could tell, this place is a wide sea of sand, and even the seaside city was nothing but a small figure in the distance.
"What should we do, captain?"
The boys simultaneously looked at their captain, who was busy looking at the sight in front of him. He had an indescribable expression on as he eyed the distinct city in front of them. It was as if he was reading a book with a language he didn't know.
After a moment of silence, he turned to look at his members who was anticipating his command. He gave them a smile, "Well there's only one way to find out."
"Let's enter that damn kingdom."
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a/n:
finally posted the first chapter !!
how was it?? i hope it's not too lame oof :">
and yes, Noinea is inspired by the Sahara desert, and Alabasta from one piece!
AND the desolated kingdom (in which name would be revealed in later chapters) is indeed inspired by Ait-Ben-Haddou, an ancient village in morocco, and it is where a part of ateez's pirate king mv was shot!
thank you for reading this and for your support! pls stay tuned for the next update!
-luna♡